Punjab: Centre must address farmers’ concerns, says Sandhwan

Terming farmers’ demands genuine, Sandhwan appealed to the central government to act decisively without delay, he called on farmers’ organisations to devise a constructive approach to break the deadlock.

Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has called on the Union government to initiate a “meaningful” dialogue with farmers to address their demands, including a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.

Farmers during a protest in Amritsar on Thursday. Farmer groups have been protesting for long while seeking a legal guarantee on MSP. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)

In a statement issued here, the speaker also expressed concern over the health of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a cancer patient who has been on a hunger strike at the Khanauri border since November 30.

Sandhwan urged the Centre to persuade Dallewal to end his hunger strike. He called on farmers’ organisations to devise a constructive approach to break the deadlock and seek a resolution to the ongoing protests.

Terming farmers’ demands genuine, Sandhwan appealed to the Centre to act decisively without delay.